Nehemiah 4:12
◄  Nehemiah 4:12  ►
New International Version (©2011)
Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

New Living Translation (©2007)
The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, "They will come from all directions and attack us!"

English Standard Version (©2001)
At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, "They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,"

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again, "Everywhere you turn, they attack us."

International Standard Version (©2012)
The Jews who lived near them kept coming to us, reporting at least ten times, "They'll attack us from every direction."

NET Bible (©2006)
So it happened that the Jews who were living near them came and warned us repeatedly about all the schemes they were plotting against us.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Jews who were living near our enemies warned us ten times that our enemies would attack us from every direction.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
And it came to pass, that when the Jews who dwelt near them came, they said unto us ten times, From all places where you shall return unto us they will be upon you.

American King James Version
And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelled by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places from where you shall return to us they will be on you.

American Standard Version
And it came to pass that, when the Jews that dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, Ye must return unto us.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And it came to pass, that when the Jews that dwelt by them came and told us ten times, out of all the places from whence they came to us,

Darby Bible Translation
And it came to pass that when the Jews that dwelt by them came and told us so ten times, from all the places whence they returned to us,

English Revised Version
And it came to pass that, when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times from all places, Ye must return unto us.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, that when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places whence ye shall return to us they will be upon you.

World English Bible
It happened that when the Jews who lived by them came, they said to us ten times from all places, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us."

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, when the Jews have come who are dwelling near them, that they say to us ten times from all the places whither ye return -- they are against us.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

4:7-15 The hindering good work is what bad men aim at, and promise themselves success in; but good work is God's work, and it shall prosper. God has many ways of bringing to light, and so of bringing to nought, the devices and designs of his church's enemies. If our enemies cannot frighten us from duty, or deceive us into sin, they cannot hurt us. Nehemiah put himself and his cause under the Divine protection. It was the way of this good man, and should be our way. All his cares, all his griefs, all his fears, he spread before God. Before he used any means, he made his prayer to God. Having prayed, he set a watch against the enemy. If we think to secure ourselves by prayer, without watchfulness, we are slothful, and tempt God; if by watchfulness, without prayer, we are proud, and slight God: either way, we forfeit his protection. God's care of our safety, should engage and encourage us to go on with vigour in our duty. As soon as a danger is over, let us return to our work, and trust God another time.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 12. - If the text is sound, it can only mean that the Jews who dwelt in the outlying towns, in the neighbourhood of Ammon, Samaria, Ashdod, etc., came repeatedly to Jerusalem, and tried to draw off their contingents, saying to them, "You must return to us." But it is suspected that there is a corruption of the original words of Nehemiah, and that what he wrote was, that these Jews came repeatedly to Jerusalem and warned him of the enemy's designs. (So Ewald, Houbigant, Dathe, A. Clarke, and others. )

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Near Samaria, Arabia, and Ashdod, and had intelligence of their designs:

came, they said to us ten times; that is, they came to them at Jerusalem, and often told them, as this phrase "ten times" signifies; see Gill on Genesis 31:7,

from all places whence ye shall return unto us: they will be upon you, come which way you will, so that ye are in the utmost danger: or "from all places"; where you are repairing and rebuilding:

return to us; that ye may enjoy peace and prosperity with us under Sanballat, &c. and escape the wrath and fury you are now exposed to; or "from all places we come, that ye may return to us"; so De Dieu; these Jews, though they pretended to be friends, to their brethren, yet seemed to be in friendship with their enemies, and sought to discourage them, and weaken their minds, and cause them to cease building.

Nehemiah 4:12 Parallel Commentaries

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Bible Hub: Online Parallel Bible


Discouragement Overcome
…11And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the middle among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease. 12And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelled by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places from where you shall return to us they will be on you. 13Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. …

Nehemiah 4:11 Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work."
Nehemiah 4:13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.
Daniel 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.